Apple's TestFlight increases cellular data limit to 150MB, support for Smart Invert Colors...

Posted:
in iPhone
Apple on Monday updated its TestFlight beta testing app with a few new features including the ability to download app versions up 150MB in size over cellular connections.


TestFlight's new 3D Touch peek feature.


TestFlight version 2.0.1 delivers a handful of enhancements for iOS 11, the most important among them being a new 150MB cap to cellular data downloads, up from 100MB. The new limit brings Apple's beta testing platform up to speed with other App Store apps.

In addition to expanded over the air data limits, TestFlight now includes support for Smart Invert Colors, a feature introduced with iPhone X to help preserve battery life. Unlike iPhones that use transmissive LCD technology, iPhone X uses an emissive OLED screen, meaning darker onscreen images utilize less energy.

TestFlight also incorporates a revised 3D Touch peek view that includes a new "What to Test" option. Users can access the feature by performing a force touch gesture on an app within TestFlight.

Finally, Apple notes the inclusion of unnamed bug fixes and user interface improvements.

Apple last updated TestFlight in 2017 with UI changes and home screen Quick Actions.

TestFlight is a free download from the App Store.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    Why should Apple care how much cellular data anyone uses?  I have friends with no home Internet, only their unlimited cell data, and it’s not fair to people like them to restrict what they can do over their wireless connection. 
  • Reply 2 of 7
    It's about time they cut ALL limits on cellular data usage. Mobile data is more often than not, faster than any free WiFi when out and about and if you have decent 4G at home, it's on par with slower fibre speeds - handy if your fibre is used up with streaming/gaming etc.

    I turn my wifi off on my phone daily as soon as I leave the house and I live in the rural far north of Scotland where not that long ago landlines were still a luxury!
  • Reply 3 of 7
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    adm1 said:
    It's about time they cut ALL limits on cellular data usage. Mobile data is more often than not, faster than any free WiFi when out and about and if you have decent 4G at home, it's on par with slower fibre speeds - handy if your fibre is used up with streaming/gaming etc.

    I turn my wifi off on my phone daily as soon as I leave the house and I live in the rural far north of Scotland where not that long ago landlines were still a luxury!
    1) That would get a lot of people into trouble and you'd see class actions out the wazoo. A more reasonable approach would be to offer a toggle switch hat would allow for unlimited or much increased maximum downloads over cellular with either a verbose warning as a modal popover before you agree, or even as a one-time basis. Perhaps more pressing is to allow for an increased cellular download in Software Update that matches what you can do in the App Store, especially if it's for a critical update.

    2) WiFi is not even close to being slower than cellular connectivity. 802.11ac is already capable of nearly 7Gib/s in many consumer routers. What you're probably talking about is the broadband connection to which your WiFi router connects.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 7
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,328member
    The Smart Invert Colors feature is soooo close to being a real kickass feature. There are just a few little kinks with picture rendering that need to be worked out.
    edited January 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 7
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    Soli said:
    adm1 said:
    It's about time they cut ALL limits on cellular data usage. Mobile data is more often than not, faster than any free WiFi when out and about and if you have decent 4G at home, it's on par with slower fibre speeds - handy if your fibre is used up with streaming/gaming etc.

    I turn my wifi off on my phone daily as soon as I leave the house and I live in the rural far north of Scotland where not that long ago landlines were still a luxury!
    1) That would get a lot of people into trouble and you'd see class actions out the wazoo. A more reasonable approach would be to offer a toggle switch hat would allow for unlimited or much increased maximum downloads over cellular with either a verbose warning as a modal popover before you agree, or even as a one-time basis. Perhaps more pressing is to allow for an increased cellular download in Software Update that matches what you can do in the App Store, especially if it's for a critical update.

    2) WiFi is not even close to being slower than cellular connectivity. 802.11ac is already capable of nearly 7Gib/s in many consumer routers. What you're probably talking about is the broadband connection to which your WiFi router connects.
    Agree regarding #1, However, public WiFi is very often uselessly slow or weak. I routinely turn off WiFi when I'm out and about.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    mike1 said:
    Soli said:
    adm1 said:
    It's about time they cut ALL limits on cellular data usage. Mobile data is more often than not, faster than any free WiFi when out and about and if you have decent 4G at home, it's on par with slower fibre speeds - handy if your fibre is used up with streaming/gaming etc.

    I turn my wifi off on my phone daily as soon as I leave the house and I live in the rural far north of Scotland where not that long ago landlines were still a luxury!
    1) That would get a lot of people into trouble and you'd see class actions out the wazoo. A more reasonable approach would be to offer a toggle switch hat would allow for unlimited or much increased maximum downloads over cellular with either a verbose warning as a modal popover before you agree, or even as a one-time basis. Perhaps more pressing is to allow for an increased cellular download in Software Update that matches what you can do in the App Store, especially if it's for a critical update.

    2) WiFi is not even close to being slower than cellular connectivity. 802.11ac is already capable of nearly 7Gib/s in many consumer routers. What you're probably talking about is the broadband connection to which your WiFi router connects.
    Agree regarding #1, However, public WiFi is very often uselessly slow or weak. I routinely turn off WiFi when I'm out and about.
    WiFi can be slow for a variety of reasons, but so can cellular. My point is that the WiFi umbrella isn't usually the bottleneck at home, which is what @adm1 specifically referred in his mention of fibre.

    If I'm at a coffeeshop WiFi can be slow because of too many people saturating a cheap consumer router and/or from too little bandwidth from their broadband connection.

    Similarly for cellular, I'm in most places in Big Sur there's sometimes GPRS or 1x (aka "2G") or No Signal (and frankly "2G" in effectively the same as No Signal, if not worse for giving you false hope that you can send or receive any data). In that situation heading for 
    Nepenthe is the best place to get internet because of their WiFI.

    Then you concerts, conventions, and other large gatherings where cell towers become too saturated to handle all the traffic. The Pro Tip is to disable "4G" on your phone so that you're on "3G" which fewer people use these days.
    edited January 2018
  • Reply 7 of 7
    Soli said:
    adm1 said:
    It's about time they cut ALL limits on cellular data usage. Mobile data is more often than not, faster than any free WiFi when out and about and if you have decent 4G at home, it's on par with slower fibre speeds - handy if your fibre is used up with streaming/gaming etc.

    I turn my wifi off on my phone daily as soon as I leave the house and I live in the rural far north of Scotland where not that long ago landlines were still a luxury!
    1) That would get a lot of people into trouble and you'd see class actions out the wazoo. A more reasonable approach would be to offer a toggle switch hat would allow for unlimited or much increased maximum downloads over cellular with either a verbose warning as a modal popover before you agree, or even as a one-time basis. Perhaps more pressing is to allow for an increased cellular download in Software Update that matches what you can do in the App Store, especially if it's for a critical update.

    2) WiFi is not even close to being slower than cellular connectivity. 802.11ac is already capable of nearly 7Gib/s in many consumer routers. What you're probably talking about is the broadband connection to which your WiFi router connects.
    For #1, it already IS a toggle switch. "Use Mobile Data" can be activated or deactivated but there is this hidden cap. The user has to manually activate mobile data usage so I highly doubt there could be any class action suits.

    #2, WiFi capabilities are faster, sure. But how often would you get 100% of the bandwidth in regular daily use? Just like a 4G connection, it's shared with however many devices are connected to the router/cell tower. For example, I have 70mbps fibre at home but I also have many devices constantly connected using bandwidth; ipads, TVs, consoles, even my CCTV system streams to a server online 24/7. If I do a speed test in the evening, I might get 15-20mbps on my phone over WiFi. If I switch off WiFi and run the test again, I'll get 30-35, sometimes 40mbps over 4G. Also "free Wifi when out and about" as I mentioned, is very unlikely to be 802.11ac with a connection of 7Gib, more like 802.11b/g/n and 1.5mbps.
Sign In or Register to comment.